Expert group to declare official drought amid prolonged dry spell, meaning water rationing may take place
A drought is to be declared across wide swathes of, with some areas of the country not receiving significant rainfall all summer, have caused the National Drought Group to declare an official drought, according to leaked documents from a meeting on Friday seen by the Guardian.
The leaked documents show they expect a further two areas will move into drought later in August. These are Yorkshire and West Midlands.The group met earlier this summer to discuss the lack of rainfall and decided to put the country in “prolonged dry weather status”, the first of four emergency dry weather stages, and one step before drought. Now, the country has been tipped into that second stage.
Those in the meeting were shown harrowing statistics about England’s food security. Half of the potato crop is expected to fail as it cannot be irrigated, and even crops that are usually drought tolerant such as maize have been failing.
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